Designed and developed in collaboration with Vining Investments, Scott Construction, Aaron Walton Architecture+Design Ltd and Arthouse Architects. Six years of planning, around 30 million dollars and two Covid lockdowns. The stunning Oceanview Apartment complex in Tāhunanui is now complete.
From its grand position to the views and immense attention to detail in the build, the sense of pride from the team is apparent. A mammoth task from the outset, Scott Construction project manager, Robert Glenny, says the project was a huge undertaking and the design and build team did an outstanding job throughout the entire process.
“The building stands in such a proud position, overlooking the fields,” says Robert. “No matter how built up the area becomes, that will never change. You have views from all angles – whether in the north-facing apartment and overlooking the beach, sea and Rocks Rd, or south-facing and looking all the way out to Richmond and Mt Owen.”
Aaron Walton Architecture+Design and Arthouse Architects says the design team were given a brief from Tony to produce a Gold Coast-style resort that would suit this unique site overlooking Tahunanui beach. The concept for the building was to try and reduce its scale by using a selection of materials to break it into smaller buildings.
“Each apartment has generous spaces, living areas open out to the beach, bedrooms get views back to the hills behind Stoke. With the addition of two swimming pools, a spa, gym and BBQ area available to all owners, we believe this appeals to a wide range of people wanting to live in this beautiful part of Tahunanui.”
With the concept completed, collaboration with Scott Construction and Tony Vining and Jacques Reynolds from Vining Investments began in 2017. The project was initially listed as part of a special housing area (SHA) by Whakatū Incorporation in 2016. Now, Tony’s vision for a gorgeous Gold Coast-type resort is coming to fruition with the completion of Oceanview Apartments and the upcoming next phase of construction, with plans progressing for a block of land situated next door.
Tony Vining, director of Vining Investments, hints the next phase of the massive Tāhunanui transformation has now begun, saying concept plans and talks are underway for the 2000 sqm section near Muritai St for, potentially, a four-storey complex with commercial ground floor and space for, what Tony describes as, a ‘metro-style’ supermarket.
Keeping things that people value is the key to a successful complex, says Robert, and he credits Tony and the design team with creating apartments that both fulfil a functional growing need and provide a safe and peaceful environment for its residents.
“The landscaping is amazing. It would have been easy for Tony to have capitalised on the remaining land and built more dwellings, go for maximum floor area, but he was quite mindful of creating a quality place for residents to live. It is easy to get that wrong and go too far. Tony created a perfect balance of apartment living and the wide-open spaces that Nelson is known for.”
Seeing the build through two local lockdowns did not deter the team from pushing forward and using the time to their advantage, tweaking plans and designs so they could hit the ground running when operating levels were once again opened up.
Robert says a build of this magnitude was a massive undertaking for the whole construction industry in Nelson and Scott's worked hard to make the design as efficient as possible. Teamwork between sub-contractors was a huge component, with both local and out-of-town contractors collaborating to deliver more than what they would have been capable of by themselves.
“We had to work extremely hard to design and prefabricate as much as possible, some building elements were under construction and stored off-site six months before they were required, just to meet the installation timeframes. It is such a big development and right at the limit of what the city could offer. We did a lot of work with Tony and his team over these last years to get it all over the line. A lot of pride goes into these builds.”
Proud of everyone involved, from workers on-site, project managers, sub-contractors and suppliers, Sally Klein, project co-ordinator for Scott Construction, says everyone came together to make the construction happen. “It was a huge team effort right from the beginning through to completion. It is really exciting to see what happens next.”
Tony cannot speak highly enough of the Scott Construction team, saying it was more than just an apartment block, they helped see his vision through, of creating a lifestyle for everyone who resided within it.
“We have to credit these guys with so much. The plan really evolved over the whole six years. It was refined and tweaked from the initial plans. From the aluminium cladding to the use of timber in the gym and the stairwells. It is those touches that really make it beautiful.”
With the massive complex now completed, Robert says the team have learnt a lot of valuable information that will transfer over to future builds, and he is enthusiastic about the effect structures of this size will have on the region.
“The resources being put back into the community during the build of Oceanview Apartments were huge. Using local tradies and suppliers is a big plus, but even the out-of-town contractors were staying at local accommodation providers, buying provisions locally, and using local facilities. It all gets pumped back into the economy.”
Next on the cards for Scott Construction and Vining Investments is an apartment complex at 71 Haven Rd. The 31 apartment, five-storey building on the edge of the port hills overlooking Trafalgar Park will be the tallest cross-laminated (CLT) building in the South Island with apartments being released to the market shortly.
CLT is a highly environmentally-conscious building product gaining favour worldwide, says Robert. “Instead of spending a lot of carbon creating cement for concrete, the construction will have solid timber walls all the way through.”
The cross-laminated, wood panel system is a lightweight and eco-friendly product that is quickly becoming popular in buildings across the country. “It is fast to put up, durable, and looks fantastic.”
Sally says there is a lot more opportunity to build high-density living in Nelson’s CBD. “It makes sense for us to use land that has already been developed and the infrastructure that is already in place, rather than impacting on valuable greenfield space.”
The Vining Investments and Scott Construction team seem to be a force to be reckoned with. Tony credits this to the large faction of professionals who have seen the Oceanview Apartments through to completion.
“We are all happy to get stuck into the next project. There has been a heck of a lot of trust built up between us and we now run like a well-oiled machine.”
